


The Best Thing

by Elvira_Rayne



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, Depression, F/M, Humor, Kalma, Kanda x Alma, Lavi x Allen, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Romance, Self-Harm, Sexual Content, Slow Build, Swearing, Violence, Yaoi, laven, ooc probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-07
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-03-16 16:41:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3495476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elvira_Rayne/pseuds/Elvira_Rayne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been a year filled with problems and honestly, Allen's been thinking about giving up for good. That is until a certain womanizing redhead asks him of all people on a date. Their acquaintanceship progresses to friendship, and then to much more. Allen never realized that Lavi would be the best thing to ever walk into his life. </p><p>Inspired by "The Best Thing by Relient K."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It's Been a Year Filled With Problems

Allen wanted to throw a fit.

Today was not turning out to be a good day. He was humiliated in his first period by Yuu Kanda, Art was...well, a  _mess,_ in Algebra he got chalk thrown at him for accidentally falling asleep in class and then he had to stand up for the last five minutes of class, in Chemistry his neighbor's experiment blew up and he got caught on  _fire_ , Lunch was actually okay for once...except that he had to sit at a table in a corner by himself because he didn't have many-if any-friends, P.E. was terrible since it was dodge ball and he was everyone's target. The next two periods were Study Hall and in the first one, kids were throwing paper at him until the teacher to them to stop.

Now he was sitting here watching this very loud, redheaded, teenager flirt with all five of the girls around him. Five.  _Five._ Allen couldn't get a girl, not even a  _boy_ , to  _look_ at him. This teen was so obnoxious and annoying and loud and...it just wasn't doing good with his terrible mood. He just wanted this day to be over. He probably wouldn't even go home. If he did, Cross would make him go get money and honestly, he wasn't in the mood today.  _This guy probably has it easy..._ Allen glowered, laying his head on his arm. The girls began to whisper and he couldn't help but look up. They were all in a little group and the redheaded boy had disappeared.  _Where did he...?_

"Hey." Allen jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was his bad one so he ended up smacking the hand away by habit. He froze when he saw the very same redhead he was watching before pursing his lips in thought.  _Great, just what I wanted to avoid: a womanizer._ Allen thought bitterly and turned back around. The girls from afar giggled and he glared at them. They only giggled more when the redhead sat in front of him. "Uh, sorry, did I scare you?" 

"No." Allen answered flatly. He always reacted that way when someone touched his bad shoulder...or his arm in general.

"Riiiight. So, what are you doing after school?" Allen gave him a funny look at the question.

"Why?" He asked slowly.

"Uh...just curious." He replied hesitantly.

"Sure you are." Allen muttered bitterly. It'd be the first time someone, a stranger, was actually interested in his life. Not even the counselor tried to bother with him. The redhead pursed his lips again and narrowed his eye, staring at him. Allen frowned and glared a little back.  _What the heck is thinking ab..._ the older teen licked his thumb and then wiped it on Allen's nose. Said younger teen nearly fell over and wiped his own nose with his sleeve, glaring at him dangerously. 

"You had a smudge on your nose. It was annoying me." He explained with a shrug. Allen grumbled and looked away. He grinned. "You remind me of one of my friends. He's such a sourpuss." Whereas Allen was a bit surprised that he had outright compared him to a 'sourpuss,' he was also very ticked at that assumption. He was  _not_ a sourpuss. He just happened to have the worst day in history...and possibly many more. The girls giggled at the ferocious look that was given to the redhead and he was beginning to think that this was some kind of setup. Who was this kid anyways and why was he even wasting his time with him? "Anyways, I was wondering...if you're not doing anything after school..." He trailed off and Allen stared at him suspiciously. He sighed when Allen didn't get the memo. "I don't know, do you want to go somewhere." Allen tilted his head; he didn't expect that question...

"Huh?" 

The boy rolled his eyes...or eye...dramatically.

"Do you want to go somewhere?"

"...like?" Allen asked slowly, not really getting it.

"Like...a date..." He replied just as slowly. Allen's face was completely blank after the mystery was cleared up. He was unsure if he heard correctly...perhaps he could repeat that...

"...c-come again?" He asked and the redhead rolled his eye again. 

"A date." He said more firmly. Allen stared at him for a long time. The girls were no longer around, instead they went to talk to their other friends since the flirt didn't come back. 

"Uh...a...a date?" Allen was more confused than when the redhead first opened his mouth. Why would anyone, especially a  _boy,_ want to go on a date with him? He didn't even know this guy's  _name_ for Christ's sake! "You can't be serious." 

"Why not?" He asked smiling. 

"We just  _met_ each other...I don't even know your  _name."_

"It's Lavi, Lavi Bookman. Yours is Allen, right?"  _How did he...?_ Allen stayed silent for a long time. Figuring that he wasn't going to speak for awhile, Lavi spoke up. "Just say yes, you'll regret it later if you don't."

"But you...I don't...I'm..." Allen shook his head, he was just too confused.

"Say yes."

"...yes?"

"Great! I'll see you after school!" Lavi chirped and skipped off.

_What the hell just happened?_

* * *

Allen stared at the redhead across from him suspiciously as he sipped his drink. He made sure to bring his own money with him just in case the redhead bailed on him. It's what happened last time someone asked Allen on a date. Lavi just shoved his sandwich in his mouth as if Allen wasn't even there. Allen didn't dare try and eat, he ate way too much for Lavi's wallet. "Ya shur ya not hung'y? This' really goo'!" Lavi said with a mouthful of food. Allen scowled in disgust. 

"No, I'm fine." He replied and sipped his drink.

"If ya say so!" Allen shuddered and swore he saw a chunk of meat fly across the tray. Maybe there was a reason Lavi flirted with all those girls...probably because he was so impolite he couldn't get a girlfriend. He thought  _he_ was bad with table manners. Bored, Allen lazily looked out the window, picturing times of when he was happier. It seemed like the entire school year was such a waste. He didn't make any friends, didn't have a job, didn't have a hobby. What was even the point of life anymore? "Uwahhh!" Allen looked from the window back at Lavi, who looked frantic. "No, no, no, no, no! Don't get bored!" He whined. Allen looked at him strangely. "If you want, we can go somewhere else..."

"I'm fine." He mumbled. 

"Right...so, I mean...I understand if you want to go home-"

"No!...I mean...I just...would rather not." Allen mumbled, blushing from his sudden outburst. He tried to recover smoothly from it, but it seemed like that wasn't happening. Lavi tilted his head and stared at Allen for a long time.  _He's kinda cute when he blushes..._

"Oh? So, wanna crash at my place?" Lavi asked, grinning slyly. Allen bit his lip, thinking about the offer. 

"I...don't know..." He mumbled, sipping his drink again.

"It's better than going home, right?" Allen opened his mouth to reply, but closed it. It  _was_ much better than going home...not that he'd admit it. He was planning on just crashing at a random motel. Lavi seemed eager and Allen was uncertain. He just met this kid. What if he was some secret serial killer?  _I've been watching way too many movies..._ he looked down at his drunk, pondering his options some more. "Come ooooon! It's been so long since someone came over!" The redhead whined. "Everyone else was busy!" He added. Allen found himself a bit agitated with that last comment. 

"So you picked a random stranger."

"Random,  _male_ stranger, yes." Lavi answered.

"So you could've picked anyone and been satisfied."  _That's right...it didn't have to be me. It could've been anyone, but then..._ "Why me?"

"Well...you seemed to have an open schedule..." Lavi trailed off and Allen smiled to himself. 

"I didn't seem to have any friends that would plan anything with me." Allen rephrased, causing Lavi to bite his lip. He didn't mean it like that...but at the same time, he did. Every time he saw Allen, he was always alone. Said teen sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Lavi was quite blunt if you interpreted it well. He wished he did have friends. People would notice if he was gone, but they would all move on, not really caring what happened. It happened everyday. People like him went unnoticed...just because they looked different. The teen stared down at his gloves. He didn't want to be different. 

"...so?" Lavi asked weakly.

_Well, it beats killing myself._

"Why not? What've I got to lose?" Allen smiled and Lavi beamed back.

* * *

It had been the most fun Allen has ever had in years. 

When they arrived to Lavi's house (which wasn't even a house, it was a mansion; which made Allen regret not eating at the restaurant they went too, apparently Lavi's wallet  _could_ take his appetite), he rambled on about a panda not being in the house (yes, Allen did question his sanity, but that wasn't the point) and insisted on watching a movie to begin their day together. It was a bit awkward since it was a romantic movie, but Allen decided to keep his mouth shut about Lavi's odd tastes. In the middle of the movie, during a very...explicit scene...Lavi went to get some more popcorn and Allen just felt too weird. He didn't want to watch this scene.  _I should have volunteered to get it..._ he thought and shifted awkwardly in his spot. Once Lavi returned, he tripped over a blanket and screamed. Allen quickly snapped his neck to the side and watched amusingly as Lavi held up the popcorn to protect it while his face slammed into the floor. The younger winced but couldn't help himself and started giggling quietly and that was all it took for him to start laughing as loudly as he could. Lavi pouted and rose his head up, a grin forming on his face at the sight of Allen's laughter. He seemed cold and isolated..but he couldn't be that bad...

It only got better after that.

They played card games (Allen made sure not to cheat) and scrabble, which Lavi happened to be an expert at, Allen introduced Lavi to the blessing of hot tea, and then they started playing video games together. Really, Allen hadn't had this much fun since he was a kid. His feelings for the redhead seemed to grow more than expected. No one had showed him this much kindness since...well...forever ago. Since Mana...he couldn't believe it but, by the end of the night, he had a small crush on the obnoxious redhead. He could feel a hole opening up in his heart when he realized that Lavi, for one, was a womanizer and his arm...he could never show it to the boy. He spaced out just thinking about what Lavi's reaction would be if he saw the monstrosity. They were in the middle of playing a Mario Party Mini-Game and Allen, who was playing as Yoshi, drowned. Lavi, who later drowned, looked over at Allen, his smile fading away when he saw a dead expression on Allen's face.

"Allen?" He questioned as the scoreboard came up, signaling the end of the Mini-Game.  _Stupid Luigi_ he thought briefly, glaring at it. He looked back at Allen and gently laid a hand on the boy's right shoulder. "Allen? Are you alright?" Lavi asked, shaking his shoulder. The teen's eyes narrowed and he seemed kind of...sad? "Allen...?" Allen suddenly shook his head, finally hearing his name, and looked over at Lavi.

"Sorry, did you say something?" The two of them froze up when their eyes connected. Allen could feel his heart hammering away in his chest, wondering if Lavi felt just as nervous as he did at the moment. It was quiet for awhile and Allen could feel himself get closer and closer to him. They were so close their noses almost touched. He could feel his eyes slowly start to close. Maybe...just a little...wouldn't hurt...right? If they were so close already then...maybe...hopefully...

 _I want your bite_  
_Wanna feel your teeth on my neck_  
_Wanna taste the salt to your sweat  
_ _Gonna rock your body all night-_

Was that  _Lavi's_ ringtone?!

"Uh...that's...not...um...I'll be right back." He mumbled and pulled away quickly, standing up and walking into the kitchen. Allen wanted to take his phone and throw it out to window. He was so angry right now. They almost  _kissed._ Then again...Lavi was a  _woman_ izer...so maybe he would've been mad had Allen actually kissed him. But then why didn't he pull away to begin with? Was he frozen with fear or shock? Allen didn't want to scare him away. He wanted to be as close as he could with Lavi. Allen sighed and looked down at his gloves, messing with them absentmindedly. He could hear Lavi's voice, but only a little. All he could hear was his tone, not his words. Allen paused in his fiddling when he heard Lavi's voice become strained and panicked. He heard Lavi mumbled his goodbyes and then walk into the room again. "So, uh, change of plans..." Allen tilted his head and took a sip of his tea.

"What's going on?" He asked. 

"Well, uh, one of my best friends' brother passed away and he's pretty shaken up...I have to go." 

"Your...best friend?" Allen questioned, wondering if maybe he could be known as that even though they've only just met. 

"Yeah, his name is Yu-er, Kanda." Allen made a face at the name and looked away distantly. Lavi wondered if maybe they knew each other. 

"I see...well, if you're leaving then I suppose I'll go home..." He mumbled and unwillingly stood up. 

"You can stay if you want." Lavi said. "I'll just be a few hours, and if you're tired, you can sleep on my bed...or the couch. Besides, it's raining outside and we have a flash flood. Kanda doesn't live that far away so I can just take an umbrella with me." He paused. "Unless you want to come with." 

"Ah, it would probably be best if I didn't." 

"Alright, fine by me. But really, I don't want you to have to walk to your house in this mess. So, just stay here for tonight, alright? I'll be back before you know it." 

"If you're sure..." Allen mumbled, sitting back down on the floor. Lavi nodded his head and grabbed his jacket and a scarf, as well as an umbrella. 

"See ya in a bit." He chimed and walked out the door. 

It was quiet...too quiet. At this point, Allen wished that Lavi's parents...or whoever he lived with...was home. The silence made him feel very uncomfortable. He was alone...in Lavi's house...what was he going to do? He didn't want to play any games just in case Lavi had saved data that he didn't want messed with...and he felt uncomfortable eating all their food. If he cleaned, he might misplace something. Perhaps...he could just take a nap until Lavi came back. Yeah. But where would he sleep? He couldn't possibly sleep in Lavi's bed...maybe he could just find blankets and sleep on the couch. Allen paused and looked all around, sweat dropping. What if he snooped through the wrong closet? Sighing, he pulled on his coat from before and walked to the kitchen, dumping out his tea before going over to the couch and cuddling up to it, wondering what would behold him when he woke up to the sound of Lavi coming in at whatever time. He smiled, thinking about Lavi making him breakfast in the morning, and fell fast asleep with that image in mind.

 

 


	2. But Now You're Here Almost as if to Solve Them

When Allen opened his eyes, Lavi wasn't there. 

He didn't remember having a blanket thrown over him and taking his coat off though... _maybe Lavi did it..._ he thought, blushing. He then realized what he had just thought and shook his head. He wasn't some fragile being that needed taken care of! He looked around and found that it was completely deserted. Rubbing his eyes momentarily, he stood up and walked around, looking for the redhead. "Lavi isn't here." Allen nearly screamed when someone broke the silence. He spun around and looked down to see a short, old man staring at him. 

"Oh...um...hello, you must be Lavi's..." Allen trailed off, unsure of what to call this man. He didn't want to offend him in any way and it wasn't like he and Lavi talked about their family with each other.

"Grandfather." The old man supplied. "You can just call me Bookman; and who are you?"

"Allen Walker, it's a pleasure to meet you." Allen smiled, offering out his right hand. Bookman nodded and shook his hand. 

"So, Allen, are you some sort of friend?"

"Kind of...well...I think so...I'm not really sure myself...I actually just met him yesterday and mentioned that I didn't want to go home so he offered me to stay here. If it's a problem, though, I can leave." He added quickly. 

"Nonsense." Bookman replied and turned around, walking towards the kitchen. "It's just like that idiot to do something like that. He asked you on a date, didn't he?"

"Actually...yeah...how did you know?" 

"It's happened before." 

 _Oh._  

Allen was unsure of how to respond to that, so he just kept his mouth shut and followed Bookman into the kitchen. "So...do you know when Lavi's going to return?" He asked softly. 

"Not a clue. School has been cancelled from the severe flash flood warning. You can stay here if you like. It may be awhile before he returns."

"Oh." Allen mumbled, starting to feel uncomfortable. He wasn't as uncomfortable as when he was alone, though. Bookman's presence certainly did help the silence. The front door opened and a familiar voice could be heard, with a string of furious curses afterwards. Allen could feel his stomach twist in agony when the intruder showed himself.

Yuu Kanda. 

"What the  _fuck_  are  _you_  doing here?" Kanda hissed. Allen glared at him but looked away, not wanting to cause a scene in front of Lavi's grandfather. He did want the man to like him. Said man wandered off at the sight of Kanda, not wanting anything to do with him. Despite that, Allen still didn't answer Kanda's question. It wasn't any of his business anyways. "I  _said_ : what the fuck are you doing here?" He hissed again, stepping towards him threateningly. He certainly was a lot grumpier when he was depressed. Allen didn't blame him though, people showed their frustration in many different ways...Kanda's just happened to be violently. 

"It's none of your business." Allen replied carelessly.

That was a wrong answer. 

It only seemed to piss Kanda off more and he grabbed the front of Allen's shirt. "Don't get fucking mouthy with me, I've had a long fucking night and I'm not dealing with any of your bullshit."

"I'm not getting mouthy with you, I'm speaking the truth. It's none of your business." Allen replied smartly.  _Now_  he was getting mouthy with him. 

"It  _is_  my business, fucking sprout, he's  _my_  friend, not yours." Kanda hissed. Allen felt his heart drop at Kanda's words. Lavi wasn't...his friend? Allen inwardly shook his head. He shouldn't listen to Kanda, the teen was just making this up to scare him away. But...what if he wasn't? He was Lavi's 'best friend' so...what if...what if Lavi admitted to them not being friends. What if he was only using him for entertainment? Wait...didn't state that to begin with? No. Kanda was just angrier than usual. His words meant nothing. That's what Allen wanted to think. But the dark side of him haunted him about it. "Nobody  _likes_  you, especially not the rabbit. If anything, he was just using you. So tell me. What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Doing. Here?" Each word pierced Allen's heart with the force of a bomb. He wanted to explode. Cry. Shout. Rage. But he couldn't...Kanda was Lavi's best friend...Lavi would hate him if he did anything...right? Then again, Kanda could take it. Blinded by anger, Allen kneed him in the stomach.

Chaos ensued. 

Soon, the two were in an all out fight with each other and Allen couldn't even count how many hits Kanda had landed or how many hits he landed himself. He couldn't even feel the pain rushing through his body from all the adrenaline he was feeling. With that being said, the two continued to fight until Bookman had stormed into the kitchen, kicking them away from each other, giving Allen a disapproving look. Allen felt his gut sink. Bookman would most definitely tell Lavi...and Lavi would hate him...then again...why did he care? He only knew Lavi for a day. It was just like Kanda said: they weren't friends. "Tell me what you're doing here." Kanda growled, trying to push past Bookman to attack him again.

"It doesn't matter, I was just leaving." Allen growled and stood up, storming away. He was glad he wore slip-ons that day. He quickly ran out the door, not even thinking to grab his coat and headed out into the rain, not giving Lavi a second look as he stormed past him. 

"Allen?! Allen! Where are you going?! Wait!" Lavi called out to him. He wanted to run after the teen, but he offered to carry Kanda's bags since he would be staying over for awhile and couldn't move since they were so heavy and he wasn't going to drop his stuff. "Damn it, I should've got his phone number..." Lavi grumbled to himself and waddled towards the house. 

In the meantime, Allen was freezing. The puddles of water were so deep and he didn't even avoid them. He just kept going in a straight path. His house was at least half an hour away, but if he kept this up, he could make it there in ten. He knew going to Lavi's house had been a mistake. Why did he even trust the redhead? He felt so stupid. His mind boiling on the thought of Lavi giving him the look Bookman did caused him to trip over a large rock and scrape his palms, arms, and knees as he fell to the ground. He hissed in pain and brought them up, fear flooding through him when he saw blood. There was a lot of it...how could this much bleed if he was just in the road? Allen couldn't think straight and quickly ran for his house, tripping and bumping into things along the way. The only thing on his mind was to get his wounds wrapped up. The teen sighed with relief when he finally made it to his house. He walked up to the front door and turned the knob.

Locked.

Cursing to himself, he jogged around back and opened the window, jumping through it and grumbling to himself. Cross obviously wasn't here (he didn't know whether that was a good or bad thing), but he couldn't think about that now. He ran to the bathroom and grabbed the first aid kit and a bottle of peroxide. He sat down on the couch and looked around to triple check Cross wasn't here before pulling off his pants. He winced at the deep scrapes on his knees. Who knew that his mood could be flipped around so easily within ten hours? He bit back his tears as he bandaged up his knees and arms. He would not let something like this take him down. He's been without friends for a long time, so why would it matter now if he lost what he could have had? Lavi wasn't even his friend. It was never official. He winced as he applied the last bandage to his lip, which Kanda had split while they were fighting. He earned many bruises from that fight, wondering if maybe he made a mistake. If he didn't fight back...if he told Kanda he only spent the night and that was it...maybe things would have turned out differently...besides...Kanda was in pain. His brother died. Allen sighed, pulling at his hair. 

He was an idiot.


	3. And I Can't Live In A World Without You Now

Allen wasn't at school the next day.

Kanda had regretted beating him up now. Lavi started pestering him  _constantly._ He asked what happened over and over, no matter how many times Kanda refused to tell him. He didn't expect the brat to just disappear altogether like that. Maybe pout and snitch or something, but he didn't expect him to actually skip school. Skipping school seemed unlike the ace student that Allen Walker was. Even the office at school was talking about it. Apparently he never missed a day. For him to miss a day now...

"I wanna know where he lives. It's been so loooong." Lavi whined, laying his head on Lenalee's shoulder. She gave him an odd look and looked away. 

"I thought you just met him." She mumbled.

"So? We're still friends!" Lavi whined. 

"You've only known him for a day." Kanda snapped. "You don't know anything about him, you don't even know how he feels or wherever the fuck he lives. You don't even have his phone number. You're. Not. Friends." Lavi frowned.

"So what if I don't know that stuff? I can know that stuff easily. All I can do is ask and he'll tell me. Duh." 

Kanda wanted to slice Lavi's head off.

"Whatever. Point being, he probably doesn't want to come to school because you're here." 

"Actually," The three of them froze and looked up to see the Assistant Principal standing behind them with a scowl on his face. "Mr. Walker has been sick. He wouldn't miss school over some silly little friendship, I can tell you that much." He cut in. It was odd for the Assistant Principal to actually converse with anyone who wasn't an employee. So why did he butt in to their conversation? Unless...he and Allen had some sort of connection...? 

"How do you know that?" Lavi countered.

"I don't think that's any of your business, as Kanda pointed out: you're not friends. Allen doesn't  _have_ friends, nor does he ever show that he wants any." He huffed, turning back on his way to the Principal's office. 

"What a turd." Lavi muttered. Lenalee giggled. He looked down at his soup as he ate...if Link knew that much...what if he was right? Allen didn't even stop to explain himself when he left...he didn't even say goodbye... _He wouldn't miss school over some silly little friendship..._ he didn't think their friendship was silly, or little for that matter...but did Allen think of it that way? Yeah, they just met and it seemed stupid that they could be best friends in just those few hours, but it's true...did Kanda say something to him? Lavi didn't want to blame Kanda for this, but Allen did admit that they didn't get along and Kanda was under a lot of stress...maybe he said something that set Allen off...? He did keep saying he and Allen weren't friends...maybe he told Allen that, and that's why he got upset? _But Link...but Kanda...but..._ Lavi sighed. Who else was there to question...no one else was there but Kanda and Allen...wait...

"Hey, Panda~" Lavi called as he took a dive into a swivel chair in his grandfather's office. The man sent him a crude look at the horrible nickname, and looked back at the board, scribbling down more notes on the board. 

"I do not have time for your mindless antics today, Lavi." 

"It's not mindless! I have a question for you...about Allen...and Kanda." 

"You want to know what happened?" Bookman guessed. _Damn, I keep forgetting how psychic this guy is._ "I'm not psychic, Lavi."  _Jesus fucking Chr-_ "You're too predictable. If you really want to know, the two of them got into a fight.'

"Uh, yeah, that much is obvious. I already know th-"

"No, Lavi, not an argument. A fight. As in they were beating each other up." 

"Eh...a fist fight?" Allen didn't seem like the one to get into fights...did he hate Kanda that much? "...hm..."

"What will you do, Lavi? Aren't they both "friends" of yours? Are you going to choose one over the other?" 

"No! I...want to see Allen, though. I feel like Kanda should have been nicer...even if he is under a lot of stress, it's no reason to take it out on Allen...and if I don't do something...I think Allen might get the idea that we're not friends...and I don't want that to happen...but I don't know anyone that knows where Allen lives or what his number is..." 

"Are you so sure?" Bookman questioned. 

"...what do you mean?"

"The name of the man who's taking care of Allen now is Cross. Cross Marian."

"...Cross, Cross, Cross...where have I heard that name bef-ah! You mean that one guy that tried to shoot me once? Allen lives with  _him?!_ " 

"Indeed he does. What will you do now?"

"I'll go see him, obviously." Lavi stood up, a smile breaking out onto his lips. "Say, Bookman, where did you say Cross lived again?"

* * *

_I feel so...nauseous._

Not only did it feel like his stomach was on fire, but it also felt like his head was about to explode.  _This is all that stupid Kanda's fault...if he hadn't come, I could be talking with Lavi right now...and I had to ruin my perfect school record...not to mention Cross isn't a very good caretaker._ Allen thought, feeling his forehead. He was drenched in all kinds of sweat and wanted to take a shower so bad...but he couldn't. His legs always shook whenever he tried to stand up. He was completely bedridden. He'd never been so sick in his entire life. He supposed that he wasn't only physically sick, but mentally sick as well. Terrible thoughts had plagued his mind and he wanted to get them out. He wanted a distraction from the obvious. He wanted...a friend. He wanted Lavi. Okay, that sounded a bit perverted if you thought about it, but Allen didn't care. Lavi was so...nice...Allen had his fair share of womanizers, but Lavi was different...if only he'd been able to talk to him before Kanda came barging in...if they could have talked about their friendship...he wouldn't be feeling so horrible. Kanda's "You're not friends" was on repeat in his head. He just wanted it to go away.

He didn't even realize he'd been crying. 

Whether it was from the pain or the words, Allen didn't know. Either was enough to make him shed a tear. He once again wiped the sweat from his brow and turned over. He supposed this was one upside to staying in the basement: it was cold. It was helping his fever,  if only for a little... _why is it so hard to live like this?_ Allen wondered. He thought that maybe if he avoided having friends, he wouldn't have to deal with the pain of losing them, or keeping up with them, or going out with them...but not having any just made him feel like he wasn't needed in this world. Allen choked a sob and pulled the comforter to his face. He needed rest...so much rest...he was so tired...just as he was about to close his eyes, a familiar buzzing sound made itself known.

It was the sound of the doorbell.

Even though it actually rang upstairs, it was a blared buzzing noise downstairs.  _Who could that be? Probably one of Cross' women...ugh, now it's going to be even harder to sleep._ That was what he thought before someone had knocked on his door five minutes after. Okay, it couldn't have been Cross. Cross didn't knock. He barged in. Allen wasn't sure how to answer...so he didn't. He could hear the door squeak open and footsteps slowly creak downstairs. For some reason, his heartbeat skipped a few beats. Who was coming downstairs? They knew he was down here...otherwise they wouldn't knock...Allen didn't have many visitors...if any...he couldn't think of anyone that knew where he lived...maybe it was Anita. She'd been one of Cross' nicer girlfriends...but they broke up, didn't they? So why would she be back. He felt a weight shift on his bed and froze. 

"Allen?" 

...Lavi? What was Lavi doing here? How did he get here? Why was he here? How did he know where Allen lived? Why did Cross let him in? All sorts of questions were buzzing through his mind. He didn't know what to do...a part of him wanted to ignore Lavi, another wanted him to hug Lavi and another part of him wanted to interrogate Lavi about what Kanda said. He didn't know what to do...what should he do? "Allen..." Lavi said a bit more firmly and touched his shoulder. Was this all a dream? Maybe Allen was just hearing Lavi's voice...maybe he was delusional...Allen looked over his shoulder and, sure enough, Lavi was there. He narrowed his eyes at the teenager and pulled his blankets closer. 

"What...are you doing here?" Allen asked slowly. 

"I came...uh...I don't know...I wanted to talk to you..." Lavi explained uncertainly. Allen felt his heart skip a beat once again and blush rise to his face; though, his face was probably already red to begin with because of the fever. Lavi  _wanted_ to talk to him. He came over because he  _wanted_ to...talk...wait...what if it was something bad? What if he said he didn't want to be friends anymore? What if he said they were never friends to begin with? What if he was upset with him because he hurt Kanda? "Are you...um...are you okay? You don't...look good...two-spot did say you were sick..." 

Two-spot? Who? 

"I...am..." Allen said slowly. Lavi's stare felt uncomfortable. Allen already knew what he was staring at. He was staring at the bruise on his face, and his split lip...and probably the other smaller bruises too...

"Yuu really got a hold of ya, huh?" He laughed nervously.

"...Yuu?" 

"Ah...that's Kanda's first name." Allen deadpanned. He thought he just went by Kanda...huh...still, Lavi was bringing up such a topic so quickly.  _So they did tell him what happened..._ "Next time you see him you should call him that and see what happens." Allen sweat dropped. Not only did that sound extremely dangerous, but extremely stupid. 

"No thanks." 

"Heh. Anyways, um...I wanted to talk about...uh...where we stand, I suppose...two-spot said...well...are we...ugh." Lavi smacked himself in the face...literally. Like, it sounded like it hurt. "We're friends, right?"

"I...thought we were..." Allen said quietly. "But Kanda said..." Lavi looked down, seeing the blankets clench slightly. 

"We are...right? Look, uh...Kanda's a sourpuss, we both know that; but, he does have feelings too."

"Surprisingly." Allen commented. Lavi let out a giggle, but nodded.

"That being said, despite his icy cold heart, he can still get emotionally hurt by things and...his brother passed away recently, so he's been on edge lately. Sometimes...whenever something happens...he can get a little overprotective...and we're best friends...so he could have been worried about me when he saw you...or something. He's...definitely not your average open book and it's hard to tell what he's thinking. Damn, someone should make a Yuu Kanda's Feelings book." Lavi grumbled, rubbing his face. "What I'm trying to say is...don't let whatever he says get to your head. I'll personally tell you when he's fully recovered. Until then, he's just blurting things out, okay?"

"O...kay..." Allen said slowly. "I'm...sorry for leaving..." He continued, playing with the blankets nervously. "I...didn't know what to do...Kanda's been your friend longer than I have and I thought you'd be...mad at me...for fighting...I didn't mean to, but-"

"It's okay." Lavi waved dismissively. "Kanda fights with a lot of people...except Lenalee...he knows better...everyone knows better." Allen didn't exactly know who this Lenalee was, but he brushed it off. Right now, Lavi was here. He felt so happy...and wanted. But...he also felt like a burden...if Lavi got too close, or stayed for too long, he might accidentally give him his sickness.  _That reminds me..._ Allen thought, holding his stomach, which continued to boil furiously,  _I forgot about all that pain since Lavi distracted me._ Allen felt another blush rise to his cheeks when Lavi pressed their foreheads together. "And here I thought you were just blushing...you have a really high fever...lay down." Lavi instructed. Allen nodded, too tired to argue. "As an apology for Kanda's actions, I'll skip with you...and help you get better." 

"Lavi, you don't have to do that..." Lavi winked at him. 

"But I want to." Allen smiled.

"Thank you."

"No problem, beansprout~!" 

"B...beansprout...?" 

"That's what Yuu calls you, right?" He chirped. Allen's expression darkened.

"My name is Allen."

"Got it." Lavi nodded and jumped off his bed. "Well, I'm going to go make you some soup or something...I'll be back!" 

Allen sighed with relief as Lavi disappeared upstairs. He felt a lot better than he did this morning. In more ways than one. Lavi actually admitted to them being friends...and they were. He was so relieved. It'd been so long since someone showed him such kindness. If Allen could, he'd stay with Lavi forever. Even though it hadn't even been two days since he met Lavi, he felt like his world became a lot more brighter with the redhead around, and he never wanted to let that go. He would never let it go...at least not purposefully. He was going to be with Lavi as long as he possibly could. 

Because really, who couldn't adore him?

 


	4. All My Life I've Been Searching For You

"I told you this was going to happen. " Allen chided, sniffling for what seemed like the fifth time that morning. 

"I'm not sick!" Lavi replied loudly. "It's allergies."

"I'm  _sure_ it is." Allen rolled his eyes, his voice laced with sarcasm. 

The two of them had been skipping school for three days now; laying around the house watching TV and playing Allen's Wii from time to time. It was the only system his guardian didn't like, so he was able to keep it away from the man's destructive hands. Lavi would make Allen and himself soup from time to time. He made it for Allen, but ended up eating whatever the younger didn't eat...which wasn't really much. He never imagined that Allen ate  _that_ much. He found out that even if Allen was quite tiny, he had  _quite_ the appetite. The redhead was surprised they didn't have to go grocery shopping twice a  _week._ Then again, it looked like they couldn't _afford_  shopping twice a week. Compared to Lavi's own estate...Allen looked dirt poor.   
  
This made Lavi feel uneasy.

He never imagined there'd be such a big gap from their lifestyles. Then again, he  _did_ live with Cross...speaking of Cross...were they even related? Allen acted nothing like the crude man. In fact, each time Lavi mentioned that he hadn't been here, Allen's face tended to go dark. It almost seemed  _impossible_ for them to be related... "Are you related to Cross? Is he your dad or something? Because you guys act nothing alike." Lavi blurted. Once again, Allen's face darkened. 

"I'd  _hope_ not. No, we're not related. He's my...godfather? I don't know. He's not my dad though." 

"I guess that's relieving."

"Why the sudden topic change?" Allen asked, pulling his bread out of the toaster and spreading butter on it. 

"No reason really...I'm just curious." He paused. Were they close enough to bring up family now? Lavi had parents. He did. But, he didn't  _like_ his parents...and his parents made it pretty clear that they didn't like him either. For once...Lavi wanted to be able to compare himself to someone else. Lenalee lived with her brother since her parents died a long time ago...Kanda had a step-father that loved him so much, even if he didn't really enjoy his company. So, what about Allen? They obviously weren't around now...maybe...were they always busy? Or did he not have any parents? That'd be close enough to him. His parents had been dead to him since he turned ten. They both only had one guardian. Lavi had his grandfather and Allen had...Cross... "I mean...do you...you know, the whole family thing..."

"...are you asking me if I have parents?" Allen wanted to laugh because of how awkward Lavi was being. 

"I...yes...if you don't want to answer, that's fine. I just thought...you know, maybe we can talk to each other about it..."

"I don't have any parents." Allen replied, taking another bite of his toast and continuing when Lavi didn't say anything. "I had a father at some point in time, but he died. I had an uncle too, but I've never met him. My uncle has a big family, but I've never talked with any of them. It's just Cross and I...what about you?" 

"I have parents...I just...haven't seen them in eight years." Lavi stopped, thinking about what he should say next. "We're not on good terms. They were too busy to take care of me, so they sent me to live with my grandfather. I talked to them once before...on the phone. It was not a good talk. I was fifteen at the time. My father had the courage to ask me if I had a girlfriend. I was dating Yuu at the time and...well, he wasn't very happy. My mother didn't really say anything though."

"Oh...I'm sorry."

"Nah, I brought it up." 

"Why?" Lavi looked confused. "I mean, why did you bring it up?"

"Because...I don't really have anyone to talk to about family. All my friends either have parents they love or never knew what having parents was like. I mean, Lenalee has her brother...just him. But he's always loving and all that. My grandfather is actually pretty strict...and your...er...guardian...he didn't seem all that loving either. So, I just thought...maybe if we ever needed to talk to each other..." He shrugged. Allen took a bite of his fifth piece of toast thoughtfully. 

"I see where you're coming from then. I don't mind. I mean, I can probably list a  _lot_ of things I don't like about my...guardian." He said the last word slowly. 

"Awesome." Lavi nodded. Allen rolled his eyes and took another piece of toast, offering it to Lavi. The redhead shook his head, stating he didn't want any. "Wait, how many of those have you  _eaten?"_ He asked incredulously. Allen looked down at his toast in deep thought. 

"Not sure...I lost count. I think I need to stop." Lavi laughed as Allen shoved the rest of his last piece of toast in his mouth. He sighed, looking out the window at the rain. He couldn't believe how bad the weather's been lately. It was constantly raining lately, and tended to bring down his mood. It was raining the same day his father passed away as well...

"You're probably not thinking anywhere close to what I'm thinking." Lavi grinned, looking out the window as well. Allen raised an eyebrow at him. "Let's go!" Lavi stood up, grabbing Allen's wrist. The teen was quite stunned as the redhead started dragging him out the door. 

"W-wait! Lavi! It's raining! We need coats if we're going anywhere! Forget coats, we need  _shoes_ , Lavi!"

"Stop being such a worrywart and have fun!" Lavi laughed, dragging the younger through several puddles before letting go and spinning in the rain. All Allen could do was stare.  _His parents don't like him...it must feel awful...and he's sick because of me...he's also missing school and yet...he's so happy._ A smile formed upon his lips just watching the older splash around in puddles. Allen could tell he was cold by the way his shoulders shook.  _Why is he so happy?_ A snort escaped from the thoughtful teen when Lavi slipped and fell on his back. 

Allen had to join him at that point. 

Playing in the rain probably wasn't the best idea. Allen felt like he was eight again, splashing in puddles and tackling Lavi to the ground--even getting into a wrestling competition. The two roughhoused until Cross had finally returned home and yelled at them to get inside before they got sick. The two of them were a giggling mess; no matter how angry Cross looked when they dragged mud through the house, their smiles never faded. Well, whenever they were locked in the bathroom together, Allen felt a bit insecure. Cross stated that they weren't allowed out until the both of them had finished cleaning themselves up and took baths. "That was fun!" Lavi laughed, leaning against a wall. 

"It was." Allen agreed with a smile just as equal. Lavi glanced at the bath. 

"No offense, but for being...as financially challenged as you are, your bath is pretty fucking huge." 

Allen sweat dropped in response, "the bath is the only reason we got the place." Lavi cackled at that. 

"I don't blame ya then!" 

Everything escalated a bit too quickly when Lavi began stripping his clothes off like he was in his room by himself. Allen sputtered at the mere sight of Lavi's chest. "Wh-what do you think you're doing?!" When it came to intimate things, Allen knew quite a bit because of Cross...however, Allen had never been put in those kinds of situations, so every time he came across something like this, he was a stuttering mess. 

"We have to bathe don't we?" Lavi asked, not seeing any problem in his actions. 

"Sh-shower off first...if you bathe like that, you'll get the bath water dirty..." Allen mumbled, turning around to give him his privacy. 

"Ah, you've got a point." Lavi turned the water on, pausing in his temperature-taking to look at Allen, "aren't you going to get in?" He asked after stepping inside. Luckily the redhead had the decency to keep his boxers on. 

"Um...no. I'll get in after you." The redhead pursed his lips and grabbed Allen's arm, dragging him in the bathtub. "AHHH! Don't do that! Ugh, now I'm even more wet than before. 

"Now you have to strip." Lavi snorted. "Unless you're going to sit around in wet clothes all day." Allen stayed silent and looked away from the redhead. 

"Um...I..." 

"You can't be serious. We're both guys here, you know."

"I know that, but..."

"What? You've got some crazy scar or something?"

"Something like that..." Allen mumbled, insecurely grabbing his left arm. 

"...you...I'm not going to judge you..." Lavi said softly. "No matter what it is, it won't ruin our friendship. I promise." He smiled. Allen looked up at him and then back down at his arm. 

"You say that, but...you wouldn't be the first one to cut ties with me..."

"Psh, I'm bound to see you shirtless anyways, so come off it." 

"What's that supposed to mean?!" 

Lavi simply grinned. 

Said teen attacked him and practically ripped his shirt off.  _This guy must not know what privacy means._ "Wow." Lavi blinked several times. Allen felt the blood drain from his face as Lavi just  _stared._ _He...he thinks it's ugly...I know he does. Why else would he have such a shocked expression? I told him...I told him he'd-_ "You're as pale as a ghost."

"...what..." Allen's expression now matched Lavi's equally stunned one. 

"Do you never go out in the sun or what? You're practically blinding me."

"Lavi, you don't have to-"

"I don't have to what? Beat around the bush? I'm not. I see your arm quite clearly. So what if it looks like that? If I judged you for something like that, I wouldn't have anyone in my life. Saying your arm is gross is like saying my grandpa should use concealer. Or that I should just never show my eye to anybody. It's glass, by the way, if you're wondering." Lavi informed. "Quite a nasty sight." He laughed. "I'm honestly surprised at how pale you are...you know you could be as pale as a vampire." Allen was too surprised by how accepting Lavi was to even speak. It was then that it dawned on Lavi of their position and all the two either could do was stare at each other in silence. A loud banging noise on the door startled them out of their daze.

"Oi, you idiots! I'm leaving clothes by the door!"

"R-right! Thanks!" Allen recovered quickly. 

_What was that?_


	5. How Did I Survive in this World Before You

Allen felt  _very_ nervous at the moment. The weekend was gone and with it, so was Lavi. Now it was Monday. Mondays sucked. You'd think he'd be happy since he'd get to see Lavi again, but Allen wasn't. Because who was currently staying with Lavi and would probably be around him 24/7? Kanda. Kanda would. And who was the last person Allen wanted to see? Most definitely Kanda. He slightly prayed that maybe Kanda would choose not to be an asshole for once. Who knows, maybe he wouldn't, maybe this day would be great. 

Allen could only hope. 

That hope paid off, when he saw Lavi prancing for him after he was spotted on his way to his locker. "Allen! I missed you!" Allen couldn't help but chuckle when the readhead squeezed him really tight. Then he didn't put him down. In fact, he carried him off. 

"L-Lavi! I can walk, put me down!" Allen sputtered, not letting his grin fade.

"You seem to be sounding better. So you're not sick anymore then? Nice. Other than your healing bruises, you look great!"

"Oh, yeah. I am. Thanks for staying with me, and sorry for getting you sick, but you seem to be fine as we--" He was then abruptly put down on his feet and spun around quickly. Allen almost fell over, but managed. 

"Allen, meet Lenalee! Lenalee, meet Allen!" Allen blinked a few times at the pretty girl standing before him. Her hair was currently put up in a ponytail, but it was really long and black with a hint of what looked green. 

Being as antisocial as he was, he stuttered, "h-hi." Lenalee laughed and he felt like he wanted to die until she also introduced herself. 

"Hello, I'm Lenalee. If Lavi said anything stupid about me, please disregard it." 

Allen wondered if the fact she couldn't be messed with was insulting or not, so he decided to just nod it off. Lavi in the meantime looked really offended. "Lenalee! I would never insult you!" 

"I never said that, you just tend to say stupid things." 

"How rude." 

"Yes, I know you are--" Lavi gaped at her. "--but shouldn't you leave Allen alone now so you two can get ready for class?" 

"We've got, like, twenty minutes, Lenalee." 

"It doesn't hurt to be prepared!" She chirped. 

"Yeah, I should...go get ready..." Allen mumbled uneasily, looking past them. Lavi caught his sudden uncomfortableness and followed his sight. It seemed that Kanda was on his way over and he didn't seem to be in the best of moods. 

"Oh, hey, Yuu!" Lavi cheered, waving at him excitedly. 

"Che." Kanda looked away but his eyes glanced at Allen. "What's  _he_ doing here?"

"Hm? Oh! This is Allen. You already know him obviously, but he's my new  _friend._ " Allen sweat dropped at how Lavi stressed the word 'friend.' 

"Whatever." Kanda grumbled before shifting to lean on the lockers. "So what happened to you over the weekend, you disappeared." 

"What's this? Were you, dare I say it,  _worried_ about me?" Lavi asked dramatically with a small gasp.

"Fuck no." Kanda hissed back. 

"Heh, I was at Allen's." Lavi answered honestly. "He was sick so I decided to take care of him. How is your dad, anyways?" 

"He isn't my dad and I don't know." Kanda replied coldly.  _Didn't Lavi say Kanda's father cared a lot about him? Why would Kanda say that?_

"Awe, c'mon, Yuu, give him some credit! He  _is_ letting you stay at my place." 

"Whatever. You're the one that offered and I could use a few weeks away from that guy."  _He looks really mad...should I apologize? What could I even apologize for? Kneeing him? But he did hit me back so he kinda already got his revenge...I mean, he was the one being rude and telling me I wasn't Lavi's friend so it's kind of his fault...?_ "What the fuck are you stating at, beansprout?" Allen jumped at the cold glare he was given, but refused to back down. He was tired of Kanda picking on him all the time. 

"Nothing." He replied, looking up at Lavi. "Anyways, I should go get things for class. I'll see you after school, okay?" He didn't want to sit at the same table as Kanda for lunch, and he didn't want to interfere with his flirting tendencies in Study Hall. He was pretty sure those girls hated him for stealing him away. 

"Nope." 

Allen's heart stopped there for a moment. 

"H-huh?"

"I'll see you at lunch." He winked. Allen wanted to tell him winking didn't look too good for him, but decided not to burst his bubble. 

"O-oh...I don't even know where you sit..." Here come the excuses. He needed to get out of that awkward situation that was bound to come. 

"I'll find you." 

"But--" 

"See ya at lunch! Now hurry to your locker little freshy or you'll be late for class! Don't want to ruin that perfect attendance!" Lavi was pushing him down the hall. 

"I'm not a freshman and I already missed a few days because I was si--" 

"Lalalala, I can't hear you!" 

"Ugh." Allen grumbled but walked away from him quickly anyways. "What was that about anyways?" 

* * *

Lunch was...very interesting. 

When he first arrived with his tray in his hands, Lenalee found him and dragged him over to their table, which seemed to be completely empty until they sat across from each other. It seemed like Kanda and Lavi were still in line. The two of them sat there in silence for a few minutes until Lenalee spoke up. 

"So, where do you live?" 

"Oh...um...just a few blocks from here." After all, Cross didn't really want to drive him to and from school, not that he was around that much anyways. Speaking of Cross, Allen wondered if Lenalee was like Lavi, the whole rich factor. Was it weird if he was with them and yet he had financial problems? 

"What about you?" Allen asked politely. 

"Oh, I live in the same neighborhood as Lavi. That's kind of how we met. He was the new kid and Kanda was already there when I moved in...he was still a bit young, but he befriended us quite easily." 

_So...she is rich too. I assume Kanda is as well then...ugh._

"It still feels kind of weird being in that type of place...I mean, I've lived there awhile--my brother is an inventor and he also works here...but...the house still kinda feels empty...it's nowhere near as big as Lavi's...I wonder how he copes...other than throwing parties that is." 

 _Whoa. Lavi throws parties?! I didn't think he was that popular! Then...why me? A_ llen wondered. 

"I see." He replied before digging into his meal. Lavi plopped down next to Allen and Kanda joined on the other side. 

"'Sup, beansprout?" 

"My name is Allen." Allen corrected. 

"I know." Lavi teased before also digging in. 

Allen felt kind of...off. He looked around, only to find several students looking over at him from time to time. Talk about awkward. Then again, if Lavi actually threw parties, he had to be quite popular...what would happen to Allen if anyone found out he wasn't...like that? Was he getting some glares from other people too? It was Lenalee that dragged him here, though, so it wasn't his fault he was here... 

"So, how's life with Kanda?" Lenalee asked Lavi with a giggle. "He won't tell me anything."

"He hasn't really stayed that long, and I was with Allen anyways. I'll come back to that when I know." 

"Roger." 

"S-so..." Allen decided to speak up, if he was going to be involved with these kids and be...popular...he was going to need to socialize. It was so weird...he's never had that many friends... "Lenalee said you guys met when you moved to town..." Lavi's eye brightened. 

"Yeah! I was so excited! Gramps went and told me to make some acquaintances while he talked to some people, so I ran straight to Yuu's house. Of course his dad was the one to answer, but he introduced us..." Allen slightly tuned out, still listening for important parts of the conversation, but ignoring quite a few things. It seemed his rant was taking forever, even Lenalee yawned. "Then I came to spend the night and learned he had three brothers! Three! I'm an only child so that was kind of a big deal." 

"Oh, really?" Allen asked, only to be polite, he was barely listening. He felt bad for praying the bell would ring soon. 

"Yep! Marie, Chaoji, and Daisya--" Lavi immediately covered his mouth and they all sat in awkward silence. 

"...why did you sto--" just then, the bell rang. 

Lenalee let out a sigh of relief and dragged Kanda away a little too quickly. Lavi laughed nervously before waving Allen goodbye and saying he'd see him in study hall. 

Allen was a bit confused...everything was fine until he mentioned this Daisya guy. Didn't Lavi say something about one of Kanda's brothers dying? Could it have been Daisya? Allen shivered and slightly pitied Lavi, hoping the redhead's next class wasn't with Kanda. Maybe Kanda wouldn't be too mad...hopefully...maybe...probably not...Allen was sure Lavi could survive this, after all, he's been friends with Kanda for how long? Yeah, everything was going to be fi-- 

"Wh-whoa!" Allen exclaimed as he bumped into a short girl. She blinked at him, not moving an inch. "Ah, sorry about that, I was kind of...um...daydreaming...are you...okay?" This was awkward. She didn't even budge...just blinked at him with those deep amber colored eyes. Allen spotted the 'Visitor' sticker on her shirt. "U-um are you lost? Who are you looking for? Um...are you looking for someone?" She nodded. Jeez, how old was this girl...she looked about thirteen. "Okay...uh, I could direct you to the office, I don't really know that many students...although you were just there, I'm sure they can help you find who you're looking for." She nodded and grabbed his hand. 

This just got even more awkward. 

Allen stiffly lead her to the office, ignoring the strange looks he got. Glancing at the girl, she seemed quite amused with the situation.  _I feel like she's mocking me...ugh, good thing I only have study hall left I'm going to be late._ Not that it really mattered, the teacher didn't care and a lot of kids skipped...not that he'd do the same. 

He approached the counter and rang the bell, causing a staff member to walk over. "Yes?" 

"Um...I was on my way to class when I bumped into this girl...? She seems to be lost and is looking for someone? I thought you might be able to help?" 

"Hm?" The woman, Ms. Tewaku, Allen believed her name to be, looked over the counter. "Oh yeah, she came in a bit ago...who did you say you were looking for again?" 

The girl was silent for awhile, but she smiled and answered effortlessly...

"Allen Walker." 


	6. Cause I Don't Wanna Live Another Day Without You Now

"Eh?" Allen blinked, pointing at himself. "That's me." But really, what were the odds of that?

"Oh. You look different. Here." She commented shortly before shoving a piece of paper in his hands and skipping out of the office. "See ya later, Allen~!" She hummed as she went. Allen looked from where she just left to Ms. Tewaku. She didn't seem too fazed about it. 

"That was a bit strange. I'm going to write you an excuse to class, but next time don't interfere with random visitors." 

"Ah...um...thanks..." He mumbled, pocketing the paper and accepting the slip.

On his way to P.E., he couldn't help but think about that girl.  _She could've at least given me an explanation or told me her name._ He thought. That had to be the most random thing that had ever happened to him. It was certainly tied with when Lavi asked him on a date. He gave his slip to the teacher and she excused him to the locker rooms, later informing him that today was a free day and, after he warmed up, he could do whatever he wanted. He was invited to play badminton with a few seniors, who insisted they needed one more player. So, that was what Allen did for P.E. He completely forgot how much fun it was to be social until his side managed to score a point. Maybe talking to people wasn't so hard after all? 

After P.E., one of the seniors, Rikei, caught up with him and sat with him during his first period of Study Hall. He was a bit of a laid back kind of guy, but he loved to tease, it seemed. They talked about their previous game, and a little about their classes for school, as well as a few of their friends. The last one must have been some sort of mistake, as he forgot how popular Lavi actually was. He was sure it would offend Lavi, if Allen told him he didn't seem like he was the type of guy to be popular. 

Honestly, Lavi was such a nerd. 

"Eh?! You're friends with Lavi?! You should introduce me sometime!" He said excitedly. Allen shrugged. 

"I've only been friends with him for a few days." Allen informed. 

"That's better than most." 

Allen blinked. "What do you mean by that?" 

"I mean...maybe they're just rumors, but..." Rikei leaned forward. "...a lot of people are saying that Lavi first takes his friends out on dates and invites them over, but if he doesn't like them, or if they're not that popular, he throws them away." 

"Really? He doesn't seem like the kind of person to do that..." Allen defended. Rikei shrugged. 

"It's probably just a rumor, honestly." 

"Yeah...probably..." 

The bell rang, but Allen stayed put, waving the senior goodbye. He waited for a little bit, half tempted to run to his locker for a book. But, since Lavi was bound to show up, he didn't think he'd need anything. However...Lavi didn't exactly do what Allen thought he would. He stopped by for a little bit, and spoke a bit...but only a bit. "Who was that?" 

"Huh? Oh, Rikei? Some senior I played Badminton with."  _If Lavi saw that, why did it take him so long to confront me?_  

"Right, well, I promised a few people I'd sit with them today. So...I'll see you after school?"

"Oh. Yeah, sure." Allen nodded, watching Lavi walk off and sit with a few other people.

He...didn't really expect that. Looks like he should've grabbed that book after all. Instead, he let his mind plague itself with bad thoughts.  _Is that normal for friends to do? I can't really see Lenalee doing something like that...she'd probably invite me along, I think...so why didn't he?_ Allen took out the paper that girl gave him and rested his cheek in his hand, pretending to read it. He probably should've actually read it, but his mind was too busy swirling around thoughts of Lavi.  _Maybe I'm thinking too much on it? He seemed pretty chill about it...yeah, of course he has other friends, maybe he was sparing me because he thought they wouldn't like me. That's probably it._ Despite his reassuring thoughts, Allen couldn't bring himself to do anything but sulk. He was stirred out of his daydreaming when a 'pop' sound came from in front of him. He jumped a bit and blinked to see an orange haired girl staring at him. 

"Welcome back to the world of the living." She greeted. 

"Um...hi." Allen answered slowly and folded the paper back up. 

"'Sup. So, you a new friend of those science nerdos?"

"Um...what?" 

"Rikei, Shifu, Lou Fa." She explained. 

"Oh...yeah, I guess...maybe." He answered uncertainly. 

"Cool, I'm a pretty rad friend of theirs too. The name's Fou." 

"I'm Allen." 

"So, whatcha got there?" She asked, looking down at the paper. "A love letter? It seemed boring." 

"Hm? This? Uh, I'm not really sure, I kind of dazed off." 

"That boring, huh?" Allen didn't know what else to do but shrug. "So, you got a phone, shorty?" 

"Shorty...?" Allen mumbled. This girl looked shorter than him... "Oh, yeah." He replied when he realized he didn't answer. 

"Nice. Here, put your number in." She slid her phone across the table. Allen took it and put his number in, making sure to put his name in, although he was pretty sure she was going to change it later. "Cool. I'll send your number to the others and we can all hang out sometime. Sound cool?" 

"Oh, yeah."

"What are you, the Kool-Aid Man?" She snorted. 

Allen chuckled a bit as well, "no." 

Was it always this easy to make friends? 

* * *

Lavi did end up confronting him after Study Hall. Allen was currently at his locker, reading a text from Fou. She seemed pretty cool... 

**Fou: So howzabout we all meet up after school?**

Allen was currently in a group chat with all four of them. 

**Lou Fa: Sorry, guys, I have to study for a huge Chemistry project.**

**Shifu: I have work.**

**Fou: You guys are lame. Rikei? Allen?**

**Rikei: I'm down.**

**Shifu: I thought you were grounded?**

**Rikei: nah, I made up for it.**

**Fou: Cool. Allen? Wanna come hang with the real cool kids? B)**

**Allen: ...maybe later? I have a bunch of math homework.**

**Fou: You're def a freshly**

**Fou: freshy****

**Allen: I'm actually a sophomore excuse you.**

**Fou: LOL well. Fine then. Do your maths and then we'll hang out?**

**Allen: That's fine by me.**

**Rikei: Sweet! I'll text ya the address we'll be hanging at.**

**Allen: okay, thanks.**

"Who ya talkin' to?" Lavi asked, sliding over. Allen wasn't sure whether or not to actually talk to Lavi. He was a little upset he wasn't invited to hang out with the redhead during Study Hall...was he an embarrassment to Lavi? No, he was just overthinking...

"Just a few people I met today." Was he allowed to call them friends yet? 

"Nice. So, wanna hang out with Lenalee and I today? Kanda's visiting his dad so he won't be there. You can meet Lenalee's brother." Lavi beamed. 

"Oh...um...actually, I already made plans, sorry...um...maybe some other time?" Lavi's smile slowly fading was quite a scary thing to witness. 

"Are ya sure, dude? Her brother doesn't like boys at her house do this is a pretty rare opportunity." 

"It's not that I don't want to, it's just I just made plans." Allen assured. Lavi shrugged, a bit disappointed by his response. 

"It's cool. Maybe next time, right?" 

Allen nodded. "Yeah." 

"So, um, sorry about Study Hall..." Lavi rubbed his neck nervously. Allen paused for a second, and could feel the redhead's gaze on him. He blinked a few times before continuing searching for his math book. 

"It's fine," Allen replied, "I'm sure you've got plenty of friends, so, really--" 

"N-no!" Lavi waved his hands with a small blush on his face. "That's not it! Um...it's, uh..."

"You don't have to tell me." Allen mumbled, taking out his Chemistry book to look further back. 

"It's that!" Lavi suddenly blurted, pointing at his book. 

Allen looked down at his book and then to Lavi with the most puzzled look on his face. "My Chemistry book?"

"That's yours?!" 

"Yeah?"

"But you're a Sophomore!" 

"...so? Um...what's wrong with my Chemistry book? Or did you lose yours? Or...?" 

Lavi let out a huge sigh, "it's not that...I, um...Chemistry is not my strong point..." 

"...okay?" 

"Erm...I had to ask someone from my class to...uh...tutor me...and my grandfather doesn't like me staying after school for some reason, so I had to, uh, study?" 

"Oh."  _So I was misunderstanding the situation. That's a relief._

"This isn't funny! Stop smiling!" Lavi blushed.  _He must hate it when people tell him he's not smart._ Allen chuckled. 

"I mean, if it's not too embarrassing for you, I could tutor you." 

"Oh my god,  _please._ I barely know the guy who's tutoring me!" Lavi flailed his hands. 

"Okay, well, just make your own schedule when you want to. Obviously not this second, but maybe think it over tonight?" 

"Okay! Thanks a bunch, Allen! I've gotta go, my gramps likes getting home pretty early. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Alright." Allen waved as he skipped off. He looked down at his Chemistry book and smiled.

He was actually really glad Lavi was just embarrassed rather than him not being important enough. He grabbed his math book, which had been shoved in the back, and then put his Chemistry book back in. His phone vibrated and he glanced at it, seeing he got a text from Rikei of the address. For some reason it kind of bothered him that Lavi didn't ask for his number...eh, he probably would eventually. 

Without further adieu, Allen hung out at school for awhile to finish his homework. After doing so, he texted the others about finishing and was glad to find out they didn't live too far from the school as well. He headed right over as Rikei and Fou argued about who would slaughter who in Mario Kart. 

Fou's house was definitely smaller than Lavi's, but definitely bigger than his. It was a duplex, but it was still pretty big. "Sup, short stack?" Fou greeted, pulling him inside. 

"Yooo, Allen!" Rikei waved. 

"Hello, Rikei." Allen smiled, waving back. He immediately took in his surroundings. She had a smart TV, which was hooked up in front of a couch, two recliners, and a bean bag chair. There were a few decorative tables and lamps and he couldn't help but pick up a photograph. 

"That's Bak." Fou informed.

"A.K.A.: Fou's boyfriend." Rikei clarified. 

"He's  _not_ my boyfriend! Just my roommate." 

"He seems nice." Allen complimented, taking that from all the pictures he was in lying around. 

"Eh." She waved dismissively. "He can be a handful sometimes, but he's pretty chill." 

"By 'pretty chill' she means: I love him." 

"Shut up, Rikei." She snarled, throwing a book at him. By the way her cheeks were dusted a light pink, Allen presumed Rikei's taunts were true.  _I wonder if the feelings are mutual...I hope so...unrequited love sucks._ Allen thought. 

"Right, so what's this I'm hearing about Mario Kart?" Allen asked with a grin. 

"Oh yeah! Rikei! Get off your lazy ass and set up the Wii U!" Fou demanded. 

"Awe, I suck at the Wii." Allen groaned. 

"Ha! Good! I'll slaughter you too then!" 

...and that was basically how Allen's night went. He learned that Rikei got super excited about ridiculous things, and it kind of reminded him of Lavi, but not too much. He also learned that Fou was a very violent person...in game and out. Her and Rikei practically begged him to spend the night, but Allen politely declined. He didn't know these guys too well, not to mention he didn't know when Cross was coming back...plus it was a school night. 

All in all, Allen was glad to have some new friends. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this on a piece of shit phone so it takes longer, I'm sorry! I can't tell you how many times I had to rewrite bits of this chapter because my phone kept closing the keyboard so I'd click on something else TT^TT should I make the chapters longer?


End file.
